I just wish people could just move on, it is only a minority that just want to stay with that hatred against the Irish Nationality. We have a minority here in Scotland and its looked upon as embarrassment. I may be not of any religious persuasion except for Spiritualist Church, which is non political and non violent and into peace

I just wish people could just move on, it is only a minority that just want to stay with that hatred against the Irish Nationality. We have a minority here in Scotland and its looked upon as embarrassment. I may be not of any religious persuasion except for Spiritualist Church, which is non political and non violent and into peace

That means it was by design that Northern Ireland was divided by religion. Keep the lower class protestant and lower class catholic fighting each other, and they won't go after the ones that were keeping them down.

Thanks for elaborating.

I think the recent sectarian protests are the product of a disenchanted youth who happen, rightly or wrongly to believe they have a 'cause' to fight for.

I don't believe anybody really cares how often the Union flag is flown on the building in question.

Most violence in Northern Ireland these days is gang related, mostly over drug 'turf' (no pun intended) rather than politically motivated, although there are still lunatics on both fringes.

The recent problem about the flying of the Union Jack on Belfast City Hall has arisen due to the democratic process. The city council is now predominantly nationalist in character, hence their vote to restrict the flying of the union flag.

One might explain the problem of Northern Ireland as essentially a unionist problem with democracy. In 1914 the island of Ireland won Home Rule (self governance) from the British but the unionists repudiated that democratic achievement and armed themselves to resist the democratic will of the British Parliament. They signed a Solemn League and Covenant (some in their own blood) to resist the democratic will by any means necessary to prevent home rule. The First World War put things on hold for a while. In 1918 the island of Ireland voted in a general election for separation from Britain, a lanslside ballot box victory for the nationalists. The British government however capitulated to the armed Unionist minority of the north of Ireland and divided the country leaving a sizeable minority of nationalists under the dominion of a northern Ireland government. This government went on to abuse its power over that nationalist minority.

In recent days a unionist mob have once again tried by violence to repudiate a democratic decision, this one taken within Belfast City Council. I strongly advise you to read this article (which is editorially neutral):

There's nothing glorious about any of this deplorable behaviour. Why can't both sides just replace an ignominious past with a truly glorious future instead? The point is that both traditions need to recognise and value the other equally if they wish to go forward peacefully and with prosperity.

Deplorable behaviour indeed, but the limitation on flying the union flag is also a sectarian action, aimed against the unionists, so the response is not altogether surprising. In that context, the final words have a touch of pious unreality about them.

Nicely biased, Garry. The Unionists are a minority on the whole island, but then so are the Welsh on this island. Should they be forced to be English, or should they have the right to self-determination within the region where they're the majority?